Stress, age change perception

We humans like to think we are advanced creatures, but even the most elevated among us remain partial to instinct. Case in point: romance, or at least its object. A new British study published Aug. 8 in the science journal PLoS ONE suggests that despite magazine ads and starving starlets, in times of need thin is not sexy. Stressed men prefer heavier women.

Researchers at London's University of Westminster compared choices of immediately stressed men (given a mentally stressful task shortly before seeing pictures) to non-stressed men, all of varying ages. The men rated images of women ranging widely from emaciated to obese. The stressed men rated a "significantly heavier female body size" as the most attractive.

"Our body size preferences are flexible and can be changed by environment and circumstance," study author Martin Tovee told ABC News.

That busts the stereotype that thinner is better. Their findings were consistent with past research about effects of stress upon perceptions, including one study showing that when resources are unpredictable or unavailable, people also prefer heavier body sizes. That suggests an instinctual attraction to both plentitude and health (images of thinness include illness and perceived inability to support pregnancy). The stressed men also displayed a wider range of positive ratings than did the non-stressed men, suggesting a greater willingness to consider a variety in mate selection during tough times, which the researchers suggest may be to preserve the species.

When push comes to shove, instinct takes over.

Both chronic and acute stress change how the brain processes information. Stress causes physical and chemical reactions in the body, all designed to heighten abilities to detect a threat, be alert, and perform quickly (i.e., "fight or flight" response). Prior research illustrates that stress improves the ability to discriminate among visual and sensory information in the short-run (seconds). But while stress response enhances early processing, it can dull longer, goal-oriented processing, according to a 2011 article in the Journal of Neuroscience. Maybe that's why people can freeze up at test time or chicken out of a major act at the last minute.

Then again, we're not lifelong slaves to stress and instinct. Experience can overcome. In the August 2012 issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a Northeastern University researcher published interesting findings: Older adults may be better at regulating emotion because they better direct their eyes. In this way, increasing age is associated with better moods, despite typically declining health and cranky stereotypes.

Older adults have previously been associated by researchers with more positive moods. This month's published study compared older and younger adults' moods and eye activities, their attractions toward positive or negative patterns and material. The findings showed that as adults age, they tend to prefer more positive looking patterns and seek positive stimuli even when they are in bad moods. However, younger adults looked to the negative when they felt bad. Is this wisdom or conditioning? That wasn't addressed; perhaps in this case they're one and the same.

If you're wondering, the researchers also concluded the older adults weren't missing any information, negative or otherwise. They simply weren't as likely to linger on the bad or let it impact moods.

Here's to gray hair and wrinkles.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who wouldn't trade a single white hair for youth. Contact her at sholehjo@hotmail.com.